Pakistan mosque blast must not be normalized, Windsor community leaders urge
Following a suicide bomb blast that killed more than 100 people in a mosque in Pakistan’s northern city of Peshawar, community leaders in Windsor-Essex are reminding people these attacks are rare and should not be dismissed as a byproduct of living in that part of the world.
Police have made several arrests but are still investigating how exactly a suicide bomber reached the mosque which sits inside a highly-fortified compound.
Officials say worshippers were praying when the bomber set off his explosives vest, killing more than 100 people and injuring at least 225 others.
Rescuers have spent the last few days recovering bodies and removing mounds of debris from a collapsed roof. The attack is the deadliest Peshawar has seen in a decade.
"Anytime attacks of this nature happen, there's always shock, extreme sadness and confusion ... and because this has happened in a mosque, it takes it to that next level," said Widad Mezahi of the Windsor Islamic Association.
The association operates out of the Windsor Mosque on Northwood Street. On any given week, hundreds of people pass through its doors to pray — and many have family ties to Pakistan.
Mezahi said she has seen how Windsor's Pakistani and Muslim communities are mourning the losses of those killed in Peshawar.
But she worries people outside of those communities who are not directly affected may dismiss the attack as something that is commonplace for the region.
"A lot of people bring up the issue of race in that sometimes people with darker skin color just don't get the same amount of empathy or sympathy," said Mezahi, referring to the public's response to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
"Other times people say, 'that kind of stuff happens all the time over there,' which is not true."
Mezahi added many people within the Muslim community feel that whenever chaos erupts in a Muslim-majority country, it fails to capture headlines and people's attention in the way that other world conflicts have done.
"It is something that we need to think about within ourselves,” she said. “Why haven't we paid as much attention to other regions of the world? Why haven't we given as much care and attention to parts of the world where this has happened?"
Others such as Mohsin Naqvi, secretary general for the group Pakistan Canada Association Windsor, agree.
Mohsin Naqvi, secretary general for Pakistan Canada Association Windsor, says Monday's suicide bombing in Peshawar 'should have sent shockwaves around the world.' Pictured in Windsor, Ont., on Feb. 2, 2023. (Sanjay Maru/CTV News Windsor)
He said Windsor is home to many families with direct ties to Peshawar who have been struggling to make contact back home.
Many people, Naqvi added, may not realize Pakistan has been a relatively peaceful country for the past six years and has been a longtime ally of the West.
"A blast of this magnitude should have sent shockwaves around the world," said Naqvi, adding people tend to pay more attention to events in NATO countries.
"This can happen anywhere in the world and we should be prepared to support all efforts to eradicate it."
Naqvi is calling for the Canadian government to "play their role" in supporting Pakistan's government and military by supporting them in the global fight against terrorism.
"Ask your elected member of Parliament in Ottawa how to support the Pakistani government in eradicating terrorism because, in the end, Canada will be the beneficiary of a peaceful world," he said.
"And please have sympathy for the families because they are collateral damage that comes with the blast. Keep them in your prayers."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Chants of 'shame on you' greet guests arriving for the annual White House correspondents' dinner
An election-year roast of U.S. President Joe Biden before journalists, celebrities and politicians at the annual White House correspondents' dinner Saturday.
What is a 'halal mortgage'? Does it make housing more accessible?
The 2024 federal budget announced on April 16 included plans to introduce “halal mortgages” as a way to increase access to home ownership.
Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Harvey Weinstein hospitalized after return to New York from upstate prison
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said Saturday that the onetime movie mogul has been hospitalized for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.
'We are declaring our readiness': No decision made yet as Poland declares it's ready to host nuclear weapons
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
Central Alberta queer groups react to request from Red Deer-South to reinstate Jennifer Johnson to UCP caucus
A number of LGBQT+2s groups in Central Alberta are pushing back against a request from the Red Deer South UCP constituency to reinstate MLA Jennifer Johnson into the UCP caucus.